I must have awoken about a half hour later. Louis was still asleep. My weekend with him would be ending in a little over 12 hours. I thought I was falling in love. He seemed to have everything I was looking for in a partner. He was confident and engaging, he made me laugh and understood my goofy humor, he was tasteful and wealthy, he was handsome and, oh, what a lover. I really wanted to get to know him better, to determine how truly compatible we might be. He had seemed to indicate that he was searching for a long-term relationship. But what was my future with him? How available he was to me? I contemplated how I should approach the remaining time with him, what to talk about and how to present myself, negotiating the process of bringing him closer.
I went back into the house, found a towel, and went back outside to lay it over Louis' exposed privates. Then I put on some clothes. I decided to abandon my halter vest, microskirt, and fuck-me sandals. Instead, I decided to change to clothes that more accurately reflected my sensibilities. I put on a white cotton bra and thong knickers set, certainly sexy enough with its lace trim and overall design, but the bra was not a push-up and the panties had ample front coverage down there. I pulled on a pink polo shirt, which displayed the size of my impressively large breasts, but did not actually reveal any of it. I poured myself into skintight white leather pants that ended with a zipper at my ankles, which enhanced the contour of my ass and highlighted the shapeliness of my legs, but did not actually reveal any of these parts. Finally, I finished off the look with unadorned black leather open-toed pumps with a half-inch platform and thin 3-inch heels. Looking at a full-length mirror in the master bedroom, I agreed that the outfit overall did a good job at exhibiting the impressiveness of many of my physical assets, without flaunting much detail or skin. This is my general philosophy to personal attire, an understated but undeniable sexiness, which I stray from for special occasions only. I had apparently decided that this weekend with Louis up to now was one long special occasion.
I then went to the kitchen to prepare for dinner. I am a competent cook, although I cannot say I am particularly skilled, since I don't practice all that much. I was going to make a standard Chinese dinner, with stir fry, sauteed greens, and rice, topped by a steamed fish. I washed and sliced meat and vegetables, placed the whole fish in the steamer, put rice in the cooker, and mixed up a couple of sauces.
Louis entered the kitchen just as I was beginning to make my last course, the beef and vegetable stir fry. "Wow, Barb. This smells so good. I can't wait to taste your offerings," he said, the double-entendre probably intentional. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed the back of my neck. He then whispered into my ear, "Nice outfit, by the way, I like it. Oh, and sorry I slept so long. I must have been really tired. I think you must have dehydrated me." He squeezed my ass lightly.
"You're crazy, sweetie," I replied, still facing away from him. I playfully slapped him on the hands. "Why don't you clean up a bit and set the table?"
***
The plates turned out well, I thought. Louis seemed to agree, complimenting me effusively about my culinary skills, asking me where I learned to cook, what other dishes I knew, and on and on. I knew he was exaggerating his enthusiasm, but I was still flattered by his kind words and attitude. We did not have any wine with the meal and I was glad that we did not have a romantic candlelight dinner either. The lighting was supplied by the natural sunlight, which progressively dimmed. We talked more about our likes and dislikes. We discovered a mutual appreciation of specific spectator sports, films, and entertainers. We found out that we each had little religious inclinations. We learned that our political leanings were similar, socially liberal, although he did acknowledge extreme financial conservatism, which was not unexpected, given his family wealth.
When it got dark to the point where we had difficulty seeing each other, Louis said, "Shall we clean up together, Barb? I don't have any maid service out here."
We got to work and finally got to the point where all the items were ready to be soaped and rinsed. There was a dishwasher, but Louis indicated he would rather do the dishes, utensils, and pans by hand and let the items dry on the dishwasher rack. We stood side by side at the large two-basin sink, me washing and him rinsing. I decided this was the time to explore our relationship deeper. I casually asked him, "So, I've been dying to ask you this all weekend, honey. How is it that such a catch like yourself is still free and unattached?"
"Why, Miss Wei, how do you know that I am unattached?" he replied with a slight grin. I immediately frowned intensely before assuming a more neutral appearance. Louis must have noticed because he quickly added, "I'm joking, Barb. I'm free, nothing to hide. Are you all right?" He eyed me carefully and my face relaxed further.
"I'm fine," I said, slightly subdued.
"Barb, I'm not sure what got you all tense just now. But if it will make you feel better, I will tell you more about my most recent relationship." He paused. "You know, it was not my choice to return to Hong Kong earlier this year. It was my father's choice and possibly my mother's. Obviously, I was eventually going to have to come back. But the timing was almost certainly chosen because they disapproved of my girlfriend out there and they wanted to break us up. Which they successfully did. I had been with Amy for a while and was seriously thinking about proposing to her, right after she finished her training as a pediatrician this year. Which she probably did a few months ago ..." He looked wistful.
"You could have waited and brought her to Hong Kong, no?"
"I could have, I suppose. But the break-up was nasty. I don't think she ever really understood the obligations that constrain me here. Nor why should she? She left Hong Kong as a baby and knows nothing of this place. She came over to Hong Kong with me once for a few weeks. But ultimately, she didn't want to come here, the place too foreign, my role here too unfathomable, and she wanted me to stay in America, for me to build a new life out there with her. I wanted to, as well, but ... but I couldn't. Or maybe I could have, who knows. In the end, I did what I was told, familial piety and all that. She accompanied me to the airport, but I haven't heard from her since and, by arrangement, I never will. My father was probably right to stop us when he did, it never would have worked out, although sometimes I still wonder ..."
Louis paused again, staring out the window above the sink. "For the past few months, my parents have been introducing me to daughters of their business associates. Or my sisters with their friends or my old friends with women they know. These women have all been great, smart, caring, attractive, but they have all been in the same circle that I am a part of. I wanted to find someone outside of my zone, someone that I could feel free and alive with ... again."
I got the sense that he did not want to spit out that last word, but felt compelled to. "What was she like, Louis?" I asked with a calculated calm that concealed true worry. Before now, I was slightly concerned that I might have to compete with my frenemy Nan for his heart. Now I was seriously concerned that I might have to compete with a living ghost.
"She was very smart, very intuitive, very committed, very passionate. She showed me how to express my emotions and how to read strangers. She encouraged me to be my best and with her I discovered drive and curiosity that I didn't know I possessed. Most of all she made me feel free, to believe that I could be who I wanted to be. To act and live to the fullest in the present and to trust that doing so would always pay off in the unknown future." Louis stayed silent for a while, still staring out the window. Finally, he said, "Well, this is all ancient history, Barb. I am happy to be with you now." He gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, essentially informing me he was done talking about this aspect of his life.
I returned the kiss. I stared out the window, too, wondering if I should reveal my own recent and sad relationship story. I exhaled loudly just before I spoke. "You probably noticed the change in my face when you joked about your relationship status. I should tell you that I had an affair that ended six months ago. This indiscretion may scar me for life, Louis. I don't even know where to begin ..."
Louis nodded slowly and with a bemused look on his face, a curious reaction in retrospect, but I was lost in my thoughts and wasn't really paying attention to him by this point.
"It started about a year ago. I had just broken up with someone who I had been friends with since university and whom I subsequently dated for almost a year, long after we had already graduated. Mutual agreement, no bad feelings, but I was still feeling upset and probably a little too vulnerable.
"Well, I met him at a shoot, he was the head of the company whose clothing line I was representing. He was older, in his late thirties. As it turned out, he was extremely wealthy. The company I modeled for was one small part of his retail business empire. I had been seeing him for about two months before I found out that he was married with two children. Complete naivete on my part. I had only been out from the shelter of the university for about a couple of years and these kind of relationships were things I had only gossiped about, not realizing that it could happen to me. Even after I knew, it didn't matter to me, though. He treated me like a princess, I had so much fun, did so many interesting things, went to so many interesting places. He developed a sophisticated and daring sensuality in me that I didn't realize I had in me. He promised me that he would marry me soon. But one day, suddenly, he told me it was over."